Glad You Came
by Queen of Bad News
Summary: She said she would come, but she never did. Years later, she finally shows up out of the blue, and Seth Rollins investigates why she never did before. Seth RollinsXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I felt like it was time for a new story, this time on the deliciously sexy Seth Rollins, who, by the way, is also the most underappreciated member of the Shield and, in my opinion, the most deserving of a push. I've seen so many fanfics about Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, and it makes me sad that there are so few mainly about Seth Rollins. Therefore, I shall add one more to the tiny list of Rollins fics.**

**Update: This was originally going to be a one-shot, but honestly I'm liking the idea so much that I'm going to turn into a short story; it'll probably at most ten to fifteen chapters.**

* * *

_Sierra! Hotel! India! Echo! Lima! Delta! _

_Shield._

That was his cue. Along with his partners-in-crime, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins emerges from the crowd, a single spotlight shining down onto him. Every time he made his way down those steps, he fought to keep his focus on the ring straight ahead of him. He was told, in order to maintain character, to not look around at members of the audience. He was to keep his head straight, regardless of whether there was an opponent in the ring or not. With Ambrose and Reigns behind, Rollins would lead the way, hopping over the barricade as he always did since his main roster debut.

When he slid into the ring along with his fellow comrades, he took this opportunity to take a look around at the thousands of pairs of eyes on The Shield, searching for a single one. His heart would sink in disappointment when those eyes were nowhere to be spotted, and he would get back into character as the architect of the Shield. This was an almost nightly ritual for Seth Rollins.

His hope dwindled further as he realized that she wasn't there.

With the rising popularity of The Shield, Seth knew that thousands of people had showed up just to see him and his colleagues kick ass, whether it be The Wyatt Family or The New Age Outlaws. There were probably several people who'd showed up just to see him in action. With this thought he scoffed. They weren't here to see Colby Lopez; they were here to see _Seth Rollins_.

After the show, Cesaro had invited them out for drinks at a nearby bar, but Seth wasn't particularly in the mood for a beer. Politely declining his friend's offer, he stalked off into the showers without another word, not realizing that Ambrose and Reigns were eyeing him in a peculiar fashion.

Seth reminisced on the 'she' that he'd been thinking about earlier. As the shower sprinkled droplets onto his skin, Seth was instantly reminded of a certain time in his past involving her. It was when they were both meek, young teenagers, dancing around in the rain as though they were children, tackling each other while they ignored the neighbors staring at them from inside the comfort of their homes. She was soaking wet and covered in mud head to toe, but he thought it was the most beautiful sight he'd seen. He received a good scolding from his worried mother, but it was well worth the adventure.

Running the shampoo through his two-toned hair, he lathered it and massaged his scalp, taking his time slowly. He shut his eyes and another memory flashed in his mind. They were six years old, bouncing happily on the trampoline set up outside in his backyard. They were just screwing around, lazily attempting to emulate professional wrestling maneuvers. His friends at the time made fun of him for inviting her over to their 'practices', but of course she silenced them by putting them in a nasty headlock and knocking the wind out of them with a spear. To this day he still remembers the time when she kneed the resident bully in the balls because he called wrestling 'fake' and him a sissy for watching it.

Chuckling softly, Seth stepped out of the shower and toweled himself dry, wrapping the towel around his waist before stepping back into the locker room. He emerged from the showers only to come face to face with his partner Roman Reigns.

"What's going on with you, man?" Roman questioned him, "you've been awfully quiet."

"Yeah, you never turn down a drink with Cesaro; I bet something's on your mind," Dean Ambrose cut in.

"Guys, I don't want to talk about it," protested Seth, pushing past them and walking towards his locker.

"Does it have to do with a certain someone?" asked Dean, "if you broke up with your girlfriend I totally understand, but—"

"We're fine, thanks for asking," interrupted Seth.

"Seriously, though, what's going on? I know when something's wrong, you're usually quiet, but today it seems bad." Roman was concerned for his friend. Seth finally caved in; he couldn't keep this from his partners any longer.

"It has to do with this girl from my past," began Seth. He packed up his things and joined his friends, continuing his story as they walked towards the parking lot, "She and I had been best friends since we were practically in diapers. When we were kids she was like the twin sister I never had, then she grew up and became, you know, a 'lady', and we started growing apart. Then I began wrestling and she went off to college, and we haven't seen each other or spoken since."

"But from the moment that we met, we made a pact with each other: we promised that if either one of us were to go onto pursue a pro wrestling career, the other person must go to at least one show of theirs. Every day we reminded each other of that promise, and till this day, with every match that I wrestle, I always keep an eye out to see if she's there. I've been wrestling at shows since I was seventeen and she hasn't showed up to one show," finished Seth.

"How would you know that she's not at the WWE shows? You know there's a ton of people in the audience and you can only look at so many faces for such a short length of time," Dean still wondered what was so special about this girl. He'd known his partner for years; Seth was such a free spirit. It was so unlike him to get hung up over anyone or anything.

"Trust me, Dean. I know her well enough to know that she does whatever she can to stand out from everyone else," argued Seth, "I'm going to find Lara Lemay and I'll make sure that she realizes what she's missed all these years."

* * *

"Laramie? Where the hell are you, woman?" hollered the voice of Hans Epperley, "I swear to God, because of you we're going to be late again! You better make sure you have a good reason for us to get there five minutes before the dinner starts!"

Lara Lemay sighed, fixing her pearl earring before giving her auburn curls a quick brush. She smoothed the front of her red, bodycon dress and stepped away from the vanity dresser. Grabbing her pale pink designer purse, she strapped on her five inch gold heels, nearly tripping on her feet as she gave one last look at herself in the mirror.

She was sick to the stomach; she looked like the very embodiment of a slut, on display for all the men's eyes to savor and for their dicks to harden over. But Lara had no control over this whatsoever. She was the pretty little wife of Hans Epperley, millionaire entrepreneur who'd made most of his fortune from his incredible luck and skill in poker. She was no more than his prize, no more superior to the numerous poker trophies that were displayed brilliantly on a prominent shelf in his—not theirs—walk-in closet that was significantly bigger than any other room in the Beverly Hills mansion that they lived in.

"Laramie!"

"I'm coming, Hans!" screeched Lara, trotting down the spiral staircase, where her infuriated husband stood red-faced. His expression changed, however, when he caught a peek up her skirt and noticed the tiniest pair of panties that barely covered her.

"It's a damn good thing you look good, Laramie," Hans's voice sunk low. He grabbed her, his hand placed firmly on her round derriere, and began nipping at her neck, "this is why every man on this fucking planet wishes they were me: my hot little wife knows exactly what I want."

"Hans, please…" Lara tried shoving his ugly hands off of her, but his grip on her ass tightened to the point where she winced in pain.

"Please what, Laramie?"

"We need to get to the dinner," she reminded. She immediately regretted mentioning the reason why he was shouting at her, and his expression instantly changed.

"Good girl," snapped Hans, dragging her roughly by the wrist out the door. He shoved her into the limousine waiting outside for them and followed her, trapping her in the confined space of the backseat, "now you do what I tell you to do, like I always do. You talk only when I tell you to talk, and keep your eyes away from any man but me. When I tell these people about our happy marriage, you play along. If any man tries to sweet talk you, tell them that you're unavailable and leave. You can talk to the other women there but goddamnit, I swear, Laramie, if I catch you even giving cutesy eyes to any of the other men there I will make you pay dearly. Do you understand?"

Lara nodded, too afraid to speak. "Good, babe. You just do everything I tell you to do and I'll leave you in peace. Maybe you'll even get a reward from me when we get back later," Hans added suggestively, his fingers crawling up her already short dress.

As soon as Hans shifted away from her to answer a couple of phone calls, Lara curled up against the other side, refusing to look anywhere but at Hans. Staring out the window, she felt a tear slipping down her rosy cheeks. Though relieved that he'd finally left her alone, Lara was still trembling slightly. This was all she was going to be: someone else's property. She missed her freedom; she missed being herself. She missed not being someone else's prisoner.

* * *

**Just a couple of notes to answer some questions that you guys may have:**

**Lara Lemay is Seth's childhood best friend who's married to Hans Epperley, a multimillionaire poker player and entrepreneur who's also a masochistic, chauvinist pig. I've read several stories about the female OC being abused by an unloving spouse, but instead of being the typical girly girl, Lara actually has more depth to her personality. In addition, I based Hans Epperley on a real life poker player/millionaire named Dan Bilzerian whose Instagram basically explains everything. I'm hoping you guys like this idea and I hope it's a story worth following and reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm really sorry about the delayed update; this chapter took me quite a long time to write, and I apologise in advance if my writing sucks. I'm kinda sad that Seth turned on Ambrose and Reigns, and some of the comments I've seen are incredibly horrible. However, at the same time, I'm super happy that it was Seth and not Dean who betrayed the group; having Ambrose turn on The Shield would have been far too predictable. In addition, having Seth turn heel and join Evolution shows that creative has faith in him, which means they see him as the future of the WWE (which he will be). **

**But since this story was started before Seth's betrayal, the time setting will be when the three of them are still a trio. I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

"Laramie!" Hans's gruff voice echoed throughout their Beverly Hills mansion, "Come down here so I can kiss you goodbye!"

Lara wasted no time, bolting out of the kitchen as quickly as she could; consider it lucky that Hans allowed her to go barefoot on days that she was to cook him dinner. She knew exactly what Hans met when he wanted to kiss her goodbye; he was off on one of his trips again. Being one of the most famous poker players in the country, whenever he was called upon to participate in a tournament, Hans would spend days, sometimes weeks, away from Lara, and Lara was well aware of what went on during his trips. Hans Epperly was not a man who would let a single woman tie him down forever. Like many young, wealthy men, he took every opportunity he could in living the dream life, surrounded by money, luxury, alcohol, and beautiful dames. He certainly wasn't going to turn down a trip to the gentleman's club or leave a group of pretty centerfolds uninvited to his yacht parties.

Surprisingly, Lara didn't care. In fact, she would secretly cheer in happiness whenever her husband was absent because that meant he would leave her alone. More importantly, that meant she could do whatever she wanted—meet up with friends in the city, go shopping, go for a jog around the neighborhood, and other activities that didn't involve sitting around and looking pretty for the man of the household.

Emerging from the kitchen, Lara found her husband standing by the foot of the large French doors, surrounded by at least five pieces of luggage despite only being away for a little over a week. He was wearing a partially unbuttoned shirt, exposing part of his chest, cargo green khakis, sandals, and a fedora: a sign that his destination was anywhere but within the States.

"I'm heading out to St. Bart's with the jet; I'll be gone for a couple of days," she was informed, after giving him the kiss that he'd requested. Of course; she'd nearly forgotten about his private jet that he 'kidnapped' her with after the wedding to their honeymoon all over the Caribbean. Hans glanced behind him to make sure that the chauffer couldn't hear him and lowered his voice, "now you know the rules when I'm gone. You can take the car to Rodeo Drive and do whatever the hell you want with the credit card. Get something hot from La Perla when you welcome me back. Laramie, you should be thankful that I give you whatever you want, and I'll buy you every single pretty thing out there so as long as you don't go around watching that low class wrestling crap again." Hans snarled at the word 'wrestling' as though it were poison, "do you understand?"

"I understand, Hans," Lara replied sullenly.

"Awww, don't be sad, wifey. You should understand that all of this," Hans looked around at his mansion, taking one last look at her before continuing, "didn't just fall from the sky by itself. I worked hard for all of this, and now I'm going to give myself a break. I'll be back before you know it, Laramie; I might even get you something from St. Bart's."

Lara held back a sob as Hans pressed one last sloppy kiss on her lips. As soon as the limousine rolled out of the driveway, Lara closed the door and crumbled to the floor, breaking down in tears. She wasn't devastated that Hans was gone; it was the way that he spoke to her, as though she were an object that he'd bought with his 'hard-earned' wealth. She felt so dirty, so ashamed of herself because of what she was now. She'd never been so helpless until she married Hans Epperly, who was supposedly the man that every woman desired to be with. She'd never found herself sinking to the floor, letting someone stomp all over her until she married Hans. To this day, she regretted having let herself sign the binding contract, the deed that made her the Epperly trophy wife.

Her regret soon turned into resentment as she recalled how insulting and degrading Hans's words were, all of a sudden realizing that she had the house to herself for a while. Lara instantly headed back up to her room, changing into something more comfortable and relaxed than booty shorts. After tying her hair up into a messy bun, Lara made a few phone calls, making appointments and setting up meetings with friends she usually never saw. As she engaged in a lighthearted conversation with one of her friends, she noticed, on her TV, three men in black combat armor attacking an executive in a suit in what appeared to be an advertisement for the WWE. One of the three men, with striking two-toned hair, instantly caught her eye.

_Colby_…

* * *

A couple hundred miles away, in Sacramento, Colby Lopez, or as he was known to the WWE Universe, Seth Rollins, had just finished his CrossFit workout for the morning. Grabbing a towel, he wiped his sweat-soaked forehead, in desperate need of a shower as soon as he returned back to the hotel. He dropped the large barbells and took a swig of Gatorade, jogging to the locker room to pick up his things. There was a house show tonight and he needed to arrive at the arena early in order to rehearse his tag match with Roman and Dean against the New Age Outlaws and Batista.

He was feeling rather frustrated. Although he usually felt exhilarated after a good CrossFit workout, today he felt as though he was underperforming. Even his spotters were surprised at how he could barely lift two hundred pounds. He was drained and frustrated with himself, but he knew that a certain auburn-haired beauty was on his mind.

He wondered what Lara Lemay was doing right now. He wondered if she was stuck in some mundane office desk job, organizing her planner as she slurped down a miserable plate of Lean Cuisine. Maybe, from all the years that he knew her, that she wasn't at a desk job, but beating the holy hell out of a punching bag at Gold's Gym. Or perhaps, she was somewhere in a suburban neighborhood, fetching groceries or whatever household chores she needed to finish. The last time he'd heard about her, he'd attempted to contact her, only to have her mother inform him, in a rather snooty tone, that she was happily married to a well-off gentleman and being "the perfect stay-at-home wife to her loving husband".

That didn't sound like Lara at all. She was far too free-spirited and stubborn to allow anyone, let alone a 'gentleman', to tie her down and constrain her to the role of a pretty little housewife. He recalled one day when they were fifteen and decided to skip health class, running off to the empty playground in their neighborhood and sitting on the swings. She was ranting to him about some boy, Tim Chadwick, who was dared by his friends to kiss her, and then swearing on her life that she would never ever let any man tie her down and use her like some object. Still, he wondered, could it be possible that Lara had changed her mind?

Seth secretly envied the man who was able to convince Lara to give up her hand in marriage. Having known Lara all these years, getting her to give in was no easy task. All throughout high school he'd witnessed the many suitors, ranging from shaking nervous to boisterously cocky, attempting to ask her out, only to be turned down. He himself had planned on doing the same thing, except there was one problem.

One day, in the middle of the tenth grade, she suddenly disappeared.

She and her whole family had moved without a trace, leaving no obvious hints of premature plans to move from the neighborhood. Afterwards, when he sent her continuous texts on what had happened to her, he'd gotten very vague answers. The last time he'd heard from her was when she finally answered one of his many phone calls, explaining that she had to move because of her parents and couldn't tell anyone else because the whole situation was complicated. He was not just shocked; he was completely heartbroken, the moment she completely cut off all contact from him. And although he moved on with his life, headed for the indies and wrestled his heart out, deep down inside of him, he still remembered her promise.

"_Lara, wait!" He managed to cut her off before she hung up, "you still remember my promise, right?" He wasn't going to let her go just yet. She'd left so suddenly and he wasn't going to let her get away with it. _

"_The one that we made since the day we met?" she questioned. _

"_If one of us gets signed with a promotion, the other has to go see them wrestle in person. I just got a local gig at Scott County Wrestling."_

"_Colby, I don't know when I'll be back in Iowa, or if I'll ever come back," Lara sighed. _

"_Why not?"_

"_It's a long story…"_

"_Lara, don't give me that long story crap! I want to know what happened and why you didn't tell anyone about it!"_

"_Colby, stop! If I tell you, it's going to ruin everything!"_

"_I won't bother you about it, then. But you have to promise me that you'll go see a show of mine, even if it's not in SCW. Hell, if I even make it to the big leagues I won't be stuck in Iowa anymore. So one day, you gotta set that one day aside, just to watch me wrestle in a real ring with a real opponent. And you don't have to follow me everywhere, Lara. Just one show. That's all I ask." _

To this day, Lara hadn't fulfilled her promise. He'd been wrestling for over ten years and he hadn't seen her once, not even once out of all the thousands of matches he'd wrestled. What frustrated Seth even more was the fact that she'd completely cut off all contact with him from the moment she said goodbye to him on the phone. Don't ask him if he's tried calling her parents; trust me, he certainly did, only to get the same answer every single time he asked where she was.

"_She doesn't want to talk to you anymore, Colby. I think I made it clear the last time that you called," Lara's mother remarked in a snide voice, with a hint of condescendence behind her tone., "Lara has a new life now, and that means she's leaving everyone in her past behind, and unfortunately you were included as well. I'm sorry, Colby, but there's nothing I can do for you."_

"_Mrs. Lemay, could I please have her number? Just some way I can contact her." _

"_I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, ever since we moved out of Davenport, Lara's become an entirely different person. The poor girl had a terrible episode with alcohol and heroin and decided that she wanted to start over, after I was able to convince her to finish her Alcoholics Anonymous sessions and rehab." _

_Seth rolled his eyes. He knew Mrs. Lemay was lying. He'd heard that story far too many times before. It was too perfectly concocted of a story for him to believe. He'd known Lara for years; she was the very last person who'd collapse into rehab from drugs and booze. _

"_I already know that story, Mrs. Lemay. You know that aside from your family, I care about Lara more than anything in the world, and if she had gone into rehab, I don't understand why you hadn't told me the minute you found out!"_

"_Listen to me, boy, I made it very, very clear several times that Lara does not want to talk to you anymore! She's moving on with her life; I suggest you do the same with your little wrestling thing. And if you dare call this house again looking for my daughter I will have the police slap a restraining order on you," snapped Mrs. Lemay nastily, hanging up before Seth could respond. _

He had to admit he was being persistent. Seth Rollins was not a man you'd leave hanging like that. He was not someone who liked to be left without answers to the problem. But something inside of him told him he needed to let go, to move on with his life. Maybe Lara really had decided to start a new life and wanted to leave everything in her past, including him, behind.

After tonight, if she wasn't there, he was going to move on, just as she had.

* * *

"Come on, girl, you look amazing!" A shrill voice echoed throughout the small apartment, the source of that voice looking extremely excited, her eyes bug-eyed in awe.

Nervously, Lara emerged from the bathroom, looking completely different from her appearance this morning. No longer in skimpy clothing, the auburn-haired beauty felt more comfortable, more _herself_, in acid washed gray skinny jeans lined with black lace panels on the side, a black top adorned with a skull and roses print and cut-out at the shoulders, and a crimson red motorcycle leather jacket with buckles around the waist. She knew that Hans would never let her wear what she was wearing right now; he'd rather get castrated by wild dogs than let her leave her bedroom in such a state. Somehow, that only made her even happier.

"I never thought I'd appreciate skinny jeans until now, Pam," Lara let out a sigh of relief. Hans would rather be castrated than let her wear what she was wearing now.

"I'm so happy you decided to come out with us tonight, Lara. You can finally do whatever the hell you want now that your husband's in Cabo. He can't force you to stay in this place forever, as glorious and amazing this mansion is," remarked Pam, not hesitating to drag Lara out the door.

"He's in St. Barts," corrected Lara, following her best friend out the door.

"Whatever," Pam waved her off, "Lara, I just don't understand why you can't let loose once in a while. I know that you love Hans, but ever since you married the man you've been acting differently."

"I'm sorry, Pam, I just don't get to see Hans very often. You know that he's a professional poker player so he's away often with his tournaments and whatever it is that guys like him do," sighed Lara. Inside, however, Lara shuddered after hearing Pam assume that she was in love with Hans. If anything, she was glad that Hans was gone, leaving her alone for some time, "and sometimes he gets stressed so we end up fighting a lot. But you know what, Pam? I want to spend this time enjoying my own free time, so can we please drop the subject?"

"Sure, no problem," agreed Pam, as they drove out of the neighborhood and onto the main streets, "so I've got a surprise for you tonight. Just like we planned over the phone, we're meeting up with Travis and the guys at Palm for an early dinner, but after that, guess where we're going?"

"I don't know, a club?"

"Not tonight; they just went a few nights ago. My awesome boyfriend Brett got us front row seats to tonight's WWE Raw taping at Staples Center! Plus, he bought the both of us the Superstar VIP Experience Package as part of our anniversary present!"

The surprise left Lara both shocked and excited, her heart racing rapidly. This was it, her first time attending a wrestling show, in what better way than smack right in the front by ringside, just a few feet, maybe inches, away from all the action that would ensue for three whole hours. Suddenly, she recalled the TV ad she watched earlier that day, the same one that featured a distinctive two-tone haired wrestler…

"Colby…"

"What did you just say? Lara?" Pam's voice snapped Lara out of her short-lived fantasy.

"Nothing," Lara lied quickly, "I was saying holy, as in 'holy shit; that sounds awesome!' I never took you as a pro wrestling fan, Pam."

Hans would have never let her out of the house alive if he found out she'd gone to a WWE show.

"That's because it's one of my guilty pleasures, Lara. Who are you going to root for tonight? Don't tell Brett, but I've had my eye on John Cena the moment Brett took me to my first show," Pam giggled, blushing furiously.

"How would I know, Pam? I've never watched a wrestling show before," replied Lara worriedly, as they pulled into the parking lot of Staples Center. As they had VIP Experience tickets, Pam parked in a special designated area right next to the arena doors and was greeted by an onsite greeter, as part of the package. Lara felt guilty that she was having the VIP Experience, even though she wasn't even a fan of professional wrestling.

"Then I'll help you out, rookie. You cheer for the faces, who are the good guys, and you boo the heels, who are the bad guys. But sometimes you don't follow that rule if you have a preference for certain superstars," explained Pam, leading her towards the shopping area so they could purchase some merchandise. Lara noticed a poster featuring the same three men—The Shield, as the poster claimed they were—she saw on TV promoting a new t-shirt of theirs. Not hesitating she purchased one for herself, her eyes still fixated on the two-tone haired member of The Shield.

Afterwards, the ladies met up with Pam's boyfriend, Brett, and two of his best friends from college, and proceeded to another room where they were to participate in a meet and greet autograph session with three WWE Superstars. Pam squealed in excitement when the organizers announced that John Cena was one of them. Lara laughed upon seeing the jealous look on Brett's face. She enjoyed the meet-and-greet experience, collecting autographs from John Cena, Cesaro, and Dean Ambrose of The Shield. While Cena and Cesaro were especially charming and flirty towards her, she noticed that Dean Ambrose had eyed her with much curiosity the moment she stepped in front of his table. She not only had an official photo taken with him, but he also asked if he could take a selfie with her, to which she agreed to anyway; she didn't mind that she'd probably make his Twitter page.

When they were brought to their seats, Pam and Brett proceeded onto explaining how professional wrestling worked. The slams onto the mat were called 'bumps', the moves that a wrestler performed as his finish was his 'finisher' and was usually unique to a particular wrestler, the tops of the corners of the ring were called 'turnbuckles', and a wrestler could win by either pin or submission, or if their opponent was disqualified or counted out. The extensive vocabulary buzzed in Lara's head. All she could think about was whether she would get to see Colby again.

* * *

Seth Rollins felt like he was on the edge tonight. All he could think about was her. When Dean came back into the locker room and showed them his fan selfies, one particular photograph captured his attention. On Dean's right side was the most beautiful redhead he'd ever seen, wearing a sexy leather jacket. The makeup made her brilliant green eyes stand out, and her smile lit up her lovely features. He knew exactly who that girl was: Lara Lemay.

He could hardly believe it. All these years he never saw her once, and all of a sudden she was right here in the very same arena. All he knew was that she was with her friends and sitting quite close to the ring because she had the VIP package. Seth had marveled at her beauty from Dean's phone; she'd certainly gotten more beautiful than he imagined from the last time he saw her.

But most importantly, she'd fulfilled her promise. After all these years, she finally showed up.

"_You mean to tell me that this is the woman you've been looking for all these years?" Roman had interjected after the revelation, when Dean had returned from the autograph signing and showed them his picture with Lara. _

"_I think that's exactly what I just said."_

"_She was super hot," mused Dean. Seth felt his blood boil in jealousy all of a sudden. _

"_I can't believe that's the same woman who used to put you in a headlock when you were kids," added Roman, "she certainly doesn't look like the type."_

"_I know," admitted Seth, holding back his urge to sock Dean in the face, "I still wonder what took her so long to finally see me. Why did she wait all this time to finally show up?"_

"_You'll find out when you see her face to face, Rollins," suggested Roman, "I know that sometimes we're allowed to get security to bring certain fans backstage, usually if they're important to us or related to us in some way."_

"_Yeah right, as if the blonde Ziggler brought in at last night's show was his cousin," scoffed Dean sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the thought of another one of Dolph Ziggler's sexual conquests, "but your girl was part of the VIP Experience crowd, so I don't think it should be a problem getting her backstage."_

"_Sounds like a good idea, Ro," agreed Seth, immediately heading out of the locker room to find the head of security, "and Dean," he added, "even though I want to punch you in the face for getting to see her before I did, thanks for the tip."_

Standing in the darkness along with his teammates, he waited for the cue to begin making his presence. A single spotlight shone onto the three of them, The Shield, signaling that it was time. Gradually they made their way down the stairs, looking nowhere but straight ahead. Seth, however, began searching for that familiar face when they began descending towards the front rows. Just before he reached the barricade in front of him, he noticed a gorgeous redhead standing in the front row on the opposite side of the arena. Flawlessly, he hopped over the barricade and made his way around the ring to get a closer look. His suspicions were confirmed when he rounded over to the other side.

It was her. It was really her.

* * *

Her friends and the other spectators around her screamed in unison, standing up to applaud the trio donned in black combat armor. Lara noticed he led his two accomplices down the steps, a single spotlight highlighting their presence. She clapped alongside everyone else; she felt awkward not knowing anything about The Shield and their immense popularity. Her eyes were fixed on him the whole time, knowing that he looked very familiar. When he jumped over the barricade and kept his gaze over to where she was she knew it was him.

She couldn't remember feeling so nervous. Aside from his half-blond, half-black long hair, the man she knew as Colby Lopez looked no different from the last time she saw him in person. He still had the same, soft brown eyes, the same ones that haunted her thoughts the moment she saw him on the television earlier that day. But the way he carried himself now was far from an amateur dreaming of breaking out into the pro wrestling world. This time, he aired the confidence of a skilled veteran. Lara's heart fluttered as she took in his toned, muscled arms, his biceps bulging out of the muscle shirt he wore. She couldn't believe that after all these years, they would meet again in this very circumstance.

He wasn't boy-next-door Colby Lopez anymore. He wasn't Gixx anymore in some little Indy wrestling promotion back in Iowa. He was Seth Rollins, WWE Superstar.

* * *

Cautiously, Colby approached the green-eyed beauty staring back at him. He'd always been attracted to her, but now the woman that stood before him blew every other woman crush he'd had out of the water. Although she was dressed in a simple top, red leather jacket, and skinny jeans, she looked sexy as hell. As much as he wanted to pull her out of the audience, swoop her into his arms, and show her how much he really missed her, he had to be Seth Rollins, architect of the Shield. Still, that didn't stop him from carrying out his task.

Seth stopped right in front of where she stood for a moment. Ignoring the other fans around him, he took a step in front of her till he was close to her, but not too close to the point where he looked like he was breaking character.

"Colby…" Lara whispered, struggling to hold herself back from reaching out and touching his face. It had been over twelve years since she last saw her neighbor, her best friend, the only person in her life who truly understood her. At that moment she felt a teardrop trickle down her cheek.

"Lara…"


	3. Chapter 3

_Seth stopped right in front of where she stood for a moment. Ignoring the other fans around him, he took a step in front of her till he was close to her, but not too close to the point where he looked like he was breaking character. _

"_Colby…" Lara whispered, struggling to hold herself back from reaching out and touching his face. It had been over twelve years since she last saw her neighbor, her best friend, the only person in her life who truly understood her. At that moment she felt a teardrop trickle down her cheek. _

"_Lara…" _

It was only a split second before Seth's expression changed and the sparkle in his eyes disappeared. He turned around without another word and slid into the ring, joining his teammates.

Lara could feel her heart plummet from what was the highest it had been in years to the lowest depths of disappointment. That moment had only been too good to be true; she only hoped that she wasn't hallucinating. She felt Pam embrace her in a hug as more tears escaped.

"It's okay, girl, he remembers you," assured Pam, "he's not upset at you; he just has to stay in character, that's all."

"Thanks Pam," Lara stifled a laugh, feeling so silly for thinking Colby was upset with her for not fulfilling her promise after all these years. She turned her head towards the ring again, where Seth Rollins stood facing her with a small smile on his face.

"I'm just so happy, Pam. In fact, I don't remember being this happy in years," she said quietly, "it makes me so happy to see him doing what he loves, living out the dream that we both had when we were younger. Honestly, I couldn't think of a better time to see him again. I still can't believe that he got this far; I remember him telling me that if he ever got into the WWE it would be a miracle."

It was truly a spectacular experience. Although Lara didn't care much for the earlier card, particularly the Divas 'match' between Nikki Bella and Summer Rae, she enjoyed certain parts of the show. Even though in her opinion that the quality of matches in the WWE had gone extremely downhill from when she last watched them, she thought the confrontation between The Shield and Evolution was amazing. She noticed every now and then that Colby would glance over at her, despite maintaining his character as Seth Rollins.

It lifted her spirits knowing that Colby seemed incredibly excited to see her; she couldn't have been happier in her life than to see her childhood best friend living his dream. When he covered Randy Orton for the pin she screamed as loudly as she could, bouncing on her toes and letting it all out, releasing all the emotions she'd constrained for all these years. She watched as Colby stood on the turnbuckle closest to her and gazed down at her fondly, and at that moment Lara swore she was going to burst into tears of happiness.

After the evening concluded, they waited for the crowds behind them to clear before getting up from their seats. Just as they were about to exit the arena, a security guard stopped them in their tracks.

"Excuse me, ladies, but will you come with me for a moment, please?" the guard inquired them.

Pam and Lara exchanged surprised glances. "I swear we haven't done anything wrong, sir," protested Pam, but another guard appeared and ushered them towards the backstage area.

"We're sorry to bring you over here, ladies, but we don't want to risk any unauthorized fans following us," the guard apologized.

"One of the Superstars has requested to see you, miss," his partner added, addressing Lara, "he insisted on me bringing you backstage for reasons that he believes are personal. He also added that your blonde friend may come along." He nodded his head to Pam, whose expression changed from confused to absolutely thrilled.

Lara felt rather out of place walking through the halls of the backstage area, receiving several glances and even odd stares from crew members and other Superstars. Pam, on the other hand, was jittering with excitement.

"Lara, can you believe this? I potentially have a chance of meeting John Cena again!" she squealed happily. Her eyes lit up as they passed Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio.

"Pam, I highly doubt John Cena made that request," argued Lara, "I think it was Col—I mean, Seth Rollins." The thought of Colby waiting for her in his locker room made Lara grin toothily like an idiot.

Despite feeling uneasy at first, remembering the old days brought back an old feeling that Lara thought she'd never feel again after moving out of Davenport. Venturing through the maze, Lara, realizing she probably would never have the opportunity to see professional wrestlers up close again, began to feel starstruck. Although she didn't recognize a majority of the newer names, she was still giddy over getting glimpses of a few faces that she watched and idolized as a child.

She recognized Randy Orton engaged in conversation with RVD. She spotted Kane, Paul Heyman, and Mark Henry sharing laughs over by catering. She marked out Lilian Garcia, who seemed ageless as she emerged out of the Divas locker room. She had to restrain herself from squealing like a fan girl when Triple H and Shawn Michaels, previously two of her favorite Superstars, said hello to her and Pam. She wondered what it would have been like, wrestling in the WWE. Although she'd have to pay the price of at most two minutes of 'wrestling' time and objectification as a beautiful woman, she wouldn't have minded as much so as long as she got to call the wrestlers she followed as a fan her co-workers or even friends.

Hans would have murdered her at this point if she admitted being glad she came tonight.

They finally arrived outside a door that read 'The Shield'. One of the guards knocked on the door and a gruff voice Lara didn't recognize on the other side permitted them entry. "Ladies, for security reasons we'll need you to be out of here in fifteen minutes…"

"No need to wait for them, Bruce; we'll take care of them from here." The door opened to reveal Dean Ambrose, whom Lara had met earlier that evening at the meet and greet session. He motioned for the guards to leave them in peace and ushered her and Pam into the locker room.

"Ladies, it's good to see you again," Dean greeted them, "sorry it had to be like this; we can't just bring anybody back here."

But Lara wasn't listening. Her attention was fixated on the man standing shirtless before her, his two-toned hair still drenched and hanging just past his shoulders. He appeared to have been in the middle of getting changed when Dean invited Pam and her into the room. Lara hadn't realized how well-toned and muscled he really was until taking in his well-defined pecs and chiseled six-pack. Of course, he had worn a black vest earlier that night.

Heart racing, hands shaking, nearly breathless, Lara took a couple of steps further into the room. Those slow steps soon turned into a quick sprint, straight into Colby's arms. She'd definitely gotten his sweat all over her shirt, but Lara couldn't care less. All that mattered to her at that moment was that she was finally reunited with Colby. And this time, it wasn't a dream.

"Lara…" Colby began.

"I missed you so much, Colby," whispered Lara. She was so happy that she could cry. She stifled a small laugh when Colby reached down to wipe a tear off of her cheek.

"Lara, what are you doing here?" Colby pulled away from her slightly.

"I have so much to tell you," replied Lara. She turned her head and noticed Dean and Pam smiling at them from the opened door, closing it so that they could give her and Colby some privacy.

"You need to tell me everything, Lara," said Colby, sitting down to unlace his boots, "I've been wondering where you were for all these years, and now all of a sudden, you show up out of the blue. I never heard any word from you since you left Davenport years ago."

"I know you have a lot of questions for me right now, Colby. There are some that I can answer, like why I left Davenport and why I decided to finally show up, but there are some that I can't, like why I had to cut you off completely until now," Lara took a seat on the bench next to Colby.

"Then answer the questions that you can answer. But eventually, Lara, you'll have to tell me what you can't tell me now."

And answer she did.

"And finally, the reason why I showed up tonight was that I wanted to fulfill the promise that we made when we were kids," finished Lara.

For the past ten minutes, Colby had heard nearly everything he needed to know. Lara had showed up tonight because she wanted to fulfill that promise they'd made when they were younger. A commercial of tonight's show had been aired while Lara happened to be watching TV, and, along with her friend Pam and her boyfriend, managed to score tickets to the show.

Her parents had been in serious debt, having lost most of their savings to gambling, and were forced to move out of their house in Davenport. Hans, the man that her father had gambled away his life savings to and owed another hundred thousand dollars to, offered him a deal, in which he would waive the money owed in exchange for Lara's hand in marriage.

It stung him, knowing that for all these years, Lara was forced to play the pretty little trophy wife of the infamously wealthy poker player Hans Epperly. Yet Colby could tell that Lara was hiding something. When he'd asked her why she never called him back or replied to his messages, or even bothered to attempt to communicate with him, Lara brushed the topic aside. He could tell that something was missing, something that had forced Lara to become a distant shell of what she used to be. He knew Lara wasn't the type to submit to someone so easily, especially not someone like Hans.

"You could have called," Colby finally spoke. All that frustration that built up inside of him finally began to spill. "You know that I hadn't changed my number since we were fourteen; you could've just called me."

"I told you, Colby. Things are complicated," Lara sighed.

"Lara, I may not have seen you for all these years, but you know that I know you better than anyone else, and you're not the type who'll let some smug asshole stomp all over you. I want to know what happened to the girl who put me in a chokehold because I ran into Razor Ramon at the supermarket. The girl who wasn't afraid to arm-wrestle the local bully. The girl who was so stubborn she refused to admit the WWF was better than WCW."

"Colby, I'm still that same girl," protested Lara, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. This wasn't how she pictured her reunion with Colby.

"Then prove it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay, another update! To make up for the wait since the last update, I present to you all another chapter. Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed this story, as well as adding me to your author alerts/favorites list! Bless you all!**

* * *

"_You could have called," Colby finally spoke. All that frustration that built up inside of him finally began to spill. "You know that I hadn't changed my number since we were fourteen; you could've just called me."_

"_I told you, Colby. Things are complicated," Lara sighed. _

"_Lara, I may not have seen you for all these years, but you know that I know you better than anyone else, and you're not the type who'll let some smug asshole stomp all over you. I want to know what happened to the girl who put me in a chokehold because I ran into Razor Ramon at the supermarket. The girl who wasn't afraid to arm-wrestle the local bully. The girl who was so stubborn she refused to admit the WWF was better than WCW."_

"_Colby, I'm still that same girl," protested Lara, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. This wasn't how she pictured her reunion with Colby. _

"_Then prove it."_

Doubt ran through Colby's mind. How could he expect her to be the same person after she'd gone AWOL on him for all these years? Did she really expect him to fully embrace her when she'd suddenly shown up without a word? He'd been nothing but utterly perplexed with his emotions—thrilled and excited to see her, yet frustrated and angry, while at the same time, curious and very intrigued—for the past couple of hours.

She'd definitely grown since he last saw her; she was far more beautiful than he remembered. Before she left Davenport she was cute as hell just in the midst of puberty: a couple of pimples here and there and a few inches shorter than she now stood. Eleven years later, however, he could hardly believe his eyes that evening when he saw a blossomed rose standing before him. Her ginger red, pin straight hair now flowed down to her waist in sleek auburn waves, and her once slightly plump frame had shed all of its baby weight and unveiled shapely, womanly curves with legs that went on for days. Her freckly skin had somehow disappeared and now glowed like porcelain. Yet her eyes—almond shaped jewels of jade—hadn't changed from the moment they met as kids.

Her choice in clothing was different, yet it still showed hints of the Lara Lemay that he used to wrestle in his backyard. However, he could tell from the heavily done makeup and perfectly set curls that something changed within her.

"How am I supposed to prove that I'm me?" snapped Lara. Now there was that stubborn streak he knew too well. "Colby, I came all the way from Beverly Hills to watch you wrestle. If keeping my promise after all these years isn't enough for you, then I don't know what is."

"Lara, I'm thinking about a lot of things right now, and you coming all the way from wherever you were is one of things on my mind, but something that's been nagging me all night is _why_. _Why_ after eleven years of never calling, texting, messaging, or any form of contact, do you suddenly decide you show up?"

"I keep telling you, Colby, it's because of that promise—"

"I know about the damn promise, Lara. And I know that during those eleven years, you moved out of Davenport, got a job, and have been married to that rich guy since. But I want to know what _really_ happened, and what made you change your mind."

"Yes, a lot of things happened, Colby, but I don't know if I can, or want, to tell you anymore," Lara began to get frustrated, "yes, I'm not exactly the same as I was before, but that doesn't mean you haven't changed at all either. To be honest, Colby, I didn't expect you to welcome me back with open arms, nor did I even think you were going through all this trouble to bring me backstage! We haven't seen each other in years and now we're back again, great! Now let me go so Pam won't tear her hair out over me!"

Knowing that she would rip his head off if he argued back, Colby sighed and gave up. "Fine, I'll let you go. But promise me one thing." He sighed, reaching into his bag to retrieve his notebook.

"_Another _promise?" scoffed Lara, rolling her eyes, "_seriously_? Do you want me to promise to attend your retirement party or your Hall of Fame induction fifty years from now?"

Colby couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle. He pulled out a pen and tore off a page from his notebook, scribbling down his contacts. He folded the piece of paper and handed it to Lara. "I want you to promise that you'll never lose sight of me, that you'll text, call, email, Skype, whatever the hell you want. When I ask you how your day goes, please tell me how your day goes. When you need to talk to someone, I'm here for you. When you want to call me up to hang out, then don't hesitate; I'll be in the Los Angeles area for the next couple of days."

Staring down at Colby's cell phone number, Skype name, and email address, Lara returned a small smile. Colby watched as she slipped the piece of paper into her purse. "We're not exactly on the right page here, Colby, but you still want to be friends?"

"I nearly lost you once, Lara, and I don't want it to happen again."

* * *

Lara glanced down at the slip of paper that had been sitting on her bedside table since she returned home from the show. All she could think about since coming back was Colby; his words continued to echo in her head from the moment Pam dropped her off in front of the house to when she'd dried her damp hair after a long shower.

Tonight's meeting was no mistake. She'd willingly agreed to attend the show with Pam, had the most fun she'd had in a long time watching the thing she loved and had not appreciated in forever, and, by some miracle, got summoned backstage to unite with her best friend from childhood. She couldn't believe she'd missed out on all this because of Hans…

_Hans! Oh no! He can't know about this!_

Hans had turned her into the picture perfect model of a trophy wife; the last thing he needed to hear was that she'd gone behind his back and went to watch sweaty, half-naked men brawling in a wrestling ring. Lara gulped; she was in for a long period of nervousness and anxiety whenever she was around him.

Suddenly, her phone beeped to signal an incoming text message. Of course, it was Hans. Lara knew what was coming. Hans never made an effort to contact her unless he needed something, and it was usually requests for her to go to the supermarket to make him a 'welcome home' meal or last minute toiletries from the drugstore, such as specific (and expensive) brands of aftershave or cologne. And of course, in true Hans Epperly fashion, he would end his text with a degrading, masochist comment towards her that made her feel worthless.

_Laramie, I need you go to CVS and get me my Gillette razors; my last one here fucking broke and now I look like a drug addict. And make me that chicken and pasta dish you made for me when I came back from New York two weeks ago. The food out here is great but it's not the same as having an attractive woman make it for me exactly the way I like it. Anyway, babe, remember to look presentable when I come back; I didn't marry you for nothing. _

There wasn't even a 'hi', 'how are you', 'please', or 'thank you', just like every single text he would send her. He treated her like she was his maid or something, snipping at her heels while she picked up after him. Seth's words echoed in her head…

_When you need to talk to someone, I'm here for you. When you want to call me up to hang out, then don't hesitate; I'll be in the Los Angeles area for the next couple of days…_

At this point she'd had enough. Now that the window of opportunity had burst open, she was ready to step right into it. She picked up her phone and dialed the number scribbled on the piece of paper.

Hans can go fuck himself in hell. She was going to take the chance and prove to Colby that she hadn't changed since day one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally, the next chapter! So sorry for the wait, y'all. On another note, I do hope that Seth cashes his Money in the Bank contract at Wrestlemania.**

* * *

_Seth's words echoed in her head…_

_When you need to talk to someone, I'm here for you. When you want to call me up to hang out, then don't hesitate; I'll be in the Los Angeles area for the next couple of days…_

_At this point, she'd had enough. Now that the window of opportunity had burst open, she was ready to step right into it. She picked up her phone and dialed the number scribbled on the piece of paper._

_Hans can go fuck himself in hell. She was going to take the chance and prove to Colby that she hadn't changed since day one. _

Seth returned back to his hotel room, his head ringing from the loud atmosphere of the bar he, Dean, Cesaro, and Roman had visited after the show. He was usually in dire need of a little liquid courage after an exhausting main event, participating in the social convention of socializing with his fellow bar patrons. Tonight, however, he was in no mood for taking shots. Instead, he'd sat quietly by the bar, slowly sipping his bottle of Coors Lite, while his fellow colleagues chatted up a couple of pretty blondes loitering by the bar.

His mind had been—and still was—preoccupied with the image of the beautiful redhead who'd shown up at the show tonight.

Lara Lemay had taken his breath away the minute he laid eyes on her that evening. He was thankful for the bastard who'd managed to pull strings and get her and her friend Pam front row seats so he could take a good look at her, but he managed to get a better, longer view when he was able to lure her backstage. No more was the cute, (not so) innocent teenager he remembered from his childhood in Davenport.

He checked his phone for any last minute texts, Facebook notifications, and such before plugging it in and switching off the lamp on his nightstand before comfortably settling into the plush, queen-sized mattress.

Suddenly, at that very moment, his call ringtone blasted loudly, giving him a rather terrible fright. He sighed in frustration; he'd forgotten to put his phone on silent. He was nearly on the verge of smashing his phone to bits when he noticed that the number calling him had a Beverly Hills area code. Could it be…?

"Hello?"

"Colby? It's me, Lara."

"Lara…" Colby began.

"Colby, any change you'll still be in LA tomorrow? Or for the next couple of weeks?"

Colby felt his heart skip a beat. "I'll be in LA for…"

"I need to get away from my son of a bitch husband, Colby. God! I am so fucking sick of him!" Lara lost her temper and began ranting in frustration, "you know, every time he leaves for one of his fucking business trips, the only time he even messages me is when he needs me to do something for him. Like make him a fucking sandwich or something, or go to CVS and get him his favorite fucking cologne. He doesn't even say hi, please, thank you, or anything that shows some form of fucking appreciation for my existence. And he expects me to dress like a motherfucking whore for him when he comes back. I mean, how am I supposed to cook his fucking alfredo if I'm wearing nothing but a dress and heels?"

"Woah, calm down there, sweetheart. It's a little late to be dropping F-bombs," laughed Colby, "so I was saying that I'll be in LA area for the next couple of days."

"Colby, I want to get away from Beverly Hills and everything that reminds me of Hans fucking Epperly," Lara breathed, exasperated, "any chance you'll be able to meet up tomorrow?"

"For you, Lara, anything."

* * *

He'd slept like a baby that night, something that was rare for the very stressful WWE Superstar. And as he had slept soundly, Lara's face called to him in his dreams. Waking up refreshed for the first time in ages, he chose to wear his favorite dress shirt, something he usually reserved for very special occasions such as Hall of Fame ceremonies. Wanting to look presentable for someone he hadn't seen in years, he shaved his ragged beard till there was just the right amount of five o'clock shadow, and combed his hair neatly and tied it back into a ponytail.

He'd run into Dean Ambrose, who'd just finished his morning workout, on the way down to the lobby that morning.

"This is the first time I've seen you wear a suit for something that isn't going to be shown on RAW, Rollins," Dean remarked, taking in his tag team partner's choice of clothing, "this girl must be special."

"Obviously," scoffed Colby, tugging at his collar, "you know I don't do this kind of romantic shit unless it's someone special."

"I don't think I've ever seen you so worked up over a girl since you broke up with your last girlfriend," replied Dean, "I mean you haven't seen her for all these years, and all of a sudden she shows up out of nowhere. Don't you think something's fishy?"

"I know Lara well enough to know that she sure as hell isn't up to anything," Colby snapped immediately, "just because your relationship with Renee is falling out doesn't mean you have to distrust every other pretty woman you come across."

"I'm just looking out for you, man. You were doing pretty well with Leighla until you caught her and Ziggler's brother sucking each other's faces that night." Colby groaned at the memory of his ex-girlfriend passionately kissing Briley Pierce, the real life brother of Dolph Ziggler, in a bar after a live show.

"I'll catch up with you later, Ambrose, I gotta go meet the woman I can't stop thinking about ever since she showed up out of nowhere on RAW," Colby shoved past Ambrose and headed straight for the elevators. As soon as he hopped into his car, he turned up some tunes of his favorite band, A Day to Remember, coded the address Lara texted him into his phone's GPS, and sped towards Beverly Hills.

Colby always found the organized rows of palm trees and sunny weather of Los Angeles absolutely enchanting, but he felt rather uncomfortable as he passed mansion after one, with each estate outsizing and fancier than the last. The red Toyota Corolla that he'd rented from LAX upon arrival stuck out like a sore thumb among the Porsches, BMWs, and Audis. Colby felt rather starstruck; it was difficult not to gawk at every single mansion that he passed without accidentally swerving into the wrong lane.

Finally, after what felt like nearly half an hour of winding through roads, Colby took a right into Summit Circle and, to his surprise, was forced to pull up next to a guardhouse. The guard instantly became suspicious as he eyed the plain, austere Toyota Corolla and Colby's half-blond head.

"I'm here to see Lara Lemay, Hans Epperly's wife," Colby informed the guard, the last three words subtly dripping with venom. He gave the address that Lara had texted him as well as his driver's license to the guard, who still eyed him suspiciously. "Mister, I need to make sure that Miss Lemay knows that you're here..."

All of a sudden, the guard's phone rang and he turned on the speaker. "Hello Serge?" Colby recognized Lara's sweet melodious voice, "Has Colby Lopez arrived yet? If so then could you please let him in? I invited him over."

Colby had to hold back a laugh. He knew better than anyone else that Lara had impeccable timing.

"No problem, Miss Lemay. You're free to go in, Mr. Lopez." Silently chuckling at the formalities, Colby drove through the pearly gates.

Colby's jaw literally dropped when he pulled up onto the circular driveway of Number 12055 where a leggy redhead stood by the front door left ajar. He could hardly believe that this was the type of lifestyle Lara had traded for her simple life in Davenport for; it was almost as though he'd stepped into _Keeping Up with the Kardashians_. When he first saw her at the RAW show, he thought that with her incredible amount of makeup, Hans Epperly had effectively transformed the girl next door he grew up with into a sexualized, material Barbie, but this time, what she wore hinted that somewhere deep inside of that pretty trophy wife getup, she was still the same. She looked relaxed yet beautiful wearing an A Day to Remember muscle tee and boyfriend denim jeans with frays and cut-out holes around the knees, with her long red hair woven into a messy braid. She was biting her lip as though she were refraining from bursting into a heartfelt smile. It almost reminded Colby of the time they went on a "date" when they were thirteen and he and his parents were picking Lara up to bring them to the movies. Although today wasn't technically a 'date', Colby still as giddy as though he was in high school all over again.

Colby noticed how the gardener pruning the bushes watched his car with a peculiar expression, as though he were a spaceship that had come from outer space. He parked the rental Corolla a few steps from where Lara stood and hopped out of the car.

As she watched Colby make his entrance, Lara couldn't help but flutter her eyelashes, taking in how classy Colby looked in a dress shirt, pants, and sunglasses. It almost reminded her of a James Dean, just the way he seemed to stride with confidence. Though she knew for a fact that Colby pretty much hated getting dressed up, this was a sight that she definitely didn't mind at all.

"Hey..." Colby said softly, slowly approaching her.

"Hey," Lara replied in return. Her heart and her head were raging inside of her; one part of her wanted to jump in his arms and kiss the living daylights out of him, the other reminded her that she was, and still is, married to Hans, and couldn't risk letting anyone see her being affectionate to another man in public.

Even if that other man was the best friend she'd ever had.

Colby stared around the inside of the stately Epperly mansion, his jaw agape in awe. He felt as though he were in one of those reality TV shows on the E! Network; there was not a single spot in the house that wasn't gleaming with polish, the hanging chandelier twinkled so brilliantly it nearly blinded him just looking at it, and every piece of furniture and decorative accent was placed so perfectly he wondered how much staff Hans had hired to make his house the perfect model for a home living magazine. When Lara led him to the back of the mansion, Colby couldn't help but gasp, "Holy shit" when an expansive pool area with lines of deck chairs, an outdoor couch, and a bright cerulean hot tub greeted his sight. His auburn-haired companion chuckled softly next to him.

"It's quite a house, isn't it?" Lara muttered quietly, a small smile on her face.

"Lara, this isn't a house. It's a fucking castle." The moment he'd entered the neighborhood, Colby was still in disbelief.

"It's an incredible place to live in; hell, it's bigger than at least seven of the houses in our neighborhood combined, but trust me, it's only fun for the first five minutes," Lara's face began to fall, "when half of the time you're all by yourself in this massive house, you feel so small, and even though it feels like you could have everything you wanted and needed in this expansive place, you just wish you could have someone who'd be willing to take you away from this place."

"He does this a lot, you know," continued Lara, as her body sank into one of the sunbeds by the pool. Instinctively, Colby joined her on the sunbed and snaked an arm around her slumped shoulders, "he'll go away for a week or two, then come back for a couple of days because he claims he can't be gone too long without me, and then he'll take off again to Vegas or Cabo or someplace with casinos and alcohol. He'll send me a text asking me to get some things for him while he's gone, and when he returns home, he expects me to dress up as a way to welcome him home. Sometimes he'll be in a bad mood, and he'll throw the dinner I made for him, the dinner that he _asked me to make for him_, into the trash, telling me that he doesn't have time for my half-assed cooking and he'll call up one of our resident chefs to make him something. I want to slap his stupid face so bad, Colby; you have no idea. I'm so sick of being unappreciated and dealing with people like him who aren't grateful for what I do for them."

"Then why not get a divorce?" suggested Colby hopefully.

"It's really not as easy as it sounds," sighed Lara, leaning her head on Colby's shoulder, "there's so much mess involved, and I can't explain it all."

Colby rested his chin on top of her head, holding her closer to him. "When the time comes, when you've figured it out, let me know, Lara. Sixteen years without us talking at all is far too long."

"So today, and for the next couple of days until he gets back, we're going to makeup for sixteen years of lost time. Whatever you want to do, wherever you want me to go, Lara, just say the word," promised Colby, pulling her up to stand.

Lara grinned and led him back inside the mansion. "How about we go grab a bite to takeout and enjoy it in the park today?" she suggested, ascending up the stairs towards her bedroom, "it's 75 degrees out and I don't want to be stuck inside all day."

"We could find a deli or something a little fancy, if that's what you prefer," Colby said in a somewhat cautious tone to Lara, as the latter picked out a set of clothing from her expansive walk-in closet.

"Actually, how about In-N-Out?" Lara suggested hopefully. Colby grinned; now that was the Lara Lemay that he knew. He decided to ditch the stupid tie, undid the first couple of buttons of his dress shirt, and rolled up his sleeves.


End file.
